Court hears wrongful termination case

Scioto County Common Pleas Judge Howard H. Harcha III will preside over a bench trial today to appeal the termination of a former maintenance worker at Green Local School District.

Former school maintenance worker Curtis Tackett had been employed at the school for nearly 20 years, according to his attorney Richard Wolfson. His employment was terminated May 31, 2012, and he filed a wrongful termination suit against the school in April. Wolfson said for almost 20 years the school has allowed Tackett to scrap items from the school, and Wolfson alleges that the school used one of those incidents as a reason to terminate his employment without benefits.

The suit against the school asks for the pay Tackett lost from hours of work and accrued vacation he was denied, as well as additional damages for emotional distress caused to him and his wife, Wolfson said, and punitive damages.

“He probably has somewhere around $50,000 in compensatory back-pay due him. We’re asking for an equal amount for emotional distress and we’re asking for punitive damages in the amount of three times that,” Wolfson said.

Ryan Scott Ottney can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 287, or rottney@civitasmedia.com. For breaking news, follow Ryan on Twitter @PDTwriter.